Swoons Of A Broken Heart
by SanquisSerpent
Summary: After Xena leaves Gabrielle to live with Ares, Callisto finds comfort in strange company. Can her new companion help get Xena back? Or will Gabrielle's soulmate be lost forever to the God of War? Femmeslash warning! Gabrielle/Callisto Xena/Ares
1. Chapter 1

She had to get away from it all. This overwhelming pain was just becoming too much to bear. "Stop.", Gabrielle commanded the horse. Eying an inn, she dismounted the horse and slowly walked in.

"Fix me the strongest stuff you have." Gabrielle said eagerly to the bartender. Sensing her pain, he obeyed and had a pint of fire-whiskey in front of the bard in under 10 seconds flat.

Slugging it down immediately, Gabrielle enjoyed it's effect for the few seconds it lasted.

30 minutes later, she had chugged down 10 pints of the alcohol.

Jerking up, the bard narrowed her eyes at the appearance of one of only two people who could make this situation worse: Callisto

"Well, well, where is your Warrior Princess?" she cackled evilly.

Glaring at the Warrior Queen, Gabrielle snapped back, "I don't see how it's any of your business."

"Awww...why so testy Gabrielle?" Callisto crooned, wagging her finger at the bard, "She do something to piss you off?"

After slugging down another pint of fire-whiskey, Gabrielle got up and sidled her way over to Callisto. "If you must know, she went off with Ares."

"He can be very persuasive can't he?" Callisto moved her fingers softly through Gabrielle's hair, and could see the glistening tears in the bard's eyes forming swiftly as she nodded slowly in response to Callisto. _Hmm... maybe I can get something out of this._ An evil grin formed as the Warrior Queen made her plan. "Tell you what, let's make Xena jealous. We can be a...a couple, and once Xena sees what she has given up, I'll make her beg for forgiveness."

"Ok..." The bard managed to croak out an answer before Callisto dragged her upstairs to a free room.

Shaking her head as she crossed the threshold with Callisto, Gabrielle suddenly became aware of what the plan was. Smiling evilly, she sat down next to Callisto on the bed. _Xena's going to pay for breaking my heart._

Callisto's eyes bulged as she saw Gabrielle kissing her neck. "Wha...what are you doing?"

Glancing up at Callisto, Gabrielle replied, "Listen, I haven't had sex in two months." She then proceeded to pull down Callisto's skirt.

_Well, if it will help me get revenge against Xena and Ares..._

"I've got to say, Gabrielle. That was just... wow." Callisto and Gabrielle were laying in bed together, but managing to stay a fair distance apart.

"You were pretty good you're self, Callisto. So, how are we going to get Xena and Ares apart?"

Callisto leaned over and whispered her plan in Gabrielle's ear. "That's perfect." Gabrielle answered with a new evil grin. _Xena won't be able to resist me..._

_I don't know how Xena takes this every morning..._ Callisto had tried everything she could think of to wake up the bard, but nothing was working. _Unless..._

Climbing up on the bed, she stuck out her tounge, wet her finger, and stuck it in Gabrielle's ear. "Wet willy!" she exclaimed playfully, her mood getting better as she saw Gabrielle stir around in the bed.

"Ow... why does my head hurt so..." Gasping when she saw Callisto, then scrambling towards the bed when she noticed herself naked, she exclaimed, "Wha...what happened last night?" she asked, flabbergasted.

"Well...I'm not going to go into all the juicy details, but let's just say we..." She then made a crossing motion with her fingers, and waited for the explosion.

"You mean we...did IT?!" Gabrielle choked out, her fears becoming reality.

"But it's okay... I was going to get Xena back for you, with your help of course."

Suddenly the harsh truth came back to her. Xena had left her, for that conniving sack of the God of War.

"Refresh me on the plan then." she said with confidence, sitting up straight in the bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: Because of certain events, Xena (and possibly some other characters) are slightly out of character in this, and in future chapters. If things go as planned, however, that should not last too long and Xena, along with any other characters that might undergo the out of character change due to any events in the story that would cause such a change, will be back to their normal and loveable selves. No harm done (not permanently, at least) to those in Xena: Warrior Princess land ;)**

_Burning... I can feel the desire burning, coursing through me. _

"Isn't it much better this way?"

Xena opened her eyes, the rough sound of Ares' voice bringing her back from her thoughts. She was sitting in his lap, somehow, and he was kissing her neck, in between the small whispers of lust he slipped in her ear. "I-I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Ares."

"Of course you do, Xena. The answer lies inside you. All you have to do is search within yourself to find it." Those cold, calculating eyes of his, that she knew so well, always looking into the opponent, was now staring into her own. But somehow… no, it couldn't be… she saw something _different_ settled deep in those orbs of his.

_Love… he could love you._

"We… we could be together." The words passed from her lips before Xena could even remember thinking them. What was happening to her?

"Yes – yes we could." That familiar smile of satisfaction graced the war god's face as he caressed Xena, eyeing her like a lion might eye its meal before the feast. Yet again, it was somehow different. She couldn't quite place it, not yet, but she could _feel_ it, with that warrior instinct that she was so used to, that something was off with Ares. Could it be plausible, that after all these years of tricking her and using her for his own devices –

_NO._

The word interrupted her train of thoughts as she slowly kissed Ares on the neck, blocking them from her mind. _This is not the time for those types of thoughts… not right now._

_NO. He is still the same lying, cheating, conniving god – _

Again, the other voice contracted her thoughts, confusing her. Her eyes swam as she mindlessly ran her lips down Ares' chest, not even caring what she was doing, too focused on her thoughts. _Something is wrong_, her mind told her, _but what?_

"Xena?" Ares lifted her chin up with his strong, calloused hand so their eyes met. She could see a trace of worry in them, even through the fog of confusion she felt. She didn't want to believe it, but… maybe he _did_ care about her. "Is something wrong?"

"What?" She chuckled at Ares' words, hoping he wouldn't see that she didn't fully trust him. Of course, he knew that she had never fully trusted him; it was one of their problems, trust. "Of course not, why would something be wrong, Ares?"

"Well for one thing, you never come to me this easily, not without a fight." He grinned that Ares grin she had come to know, and she felt her thoughts easing considerably. Why, she didn't know. "And for another, you seemed… distracted."

"Distracted? Of course not."

"Well I would certainly hope not." The smile deepened, and the eyes shone. Ares was obviously humored at something, but Xena was not sure yet. Her special 'sixth sense' had left her – at least for now – and it worried her, deeply. It was the only thing that could tell her whether to trust Ares, and right now she wasn't so sure. "I would hope my warrior princess isn't distracted."

_Something is wrong here, you can tell, you can sense it._

"I could never be distracted when I am with you." Xena smiled back, pretending to not be worried. She couldn't let Ares know she doubted him – not when she had gained his trust somehow. "You are too interesting." She kissed him softly on the lips, smiling, just to make sure nothing was misunderstood. Of course, it wasn't like she was lying. Everything she had said was the truth.

"That…" Ares paused for dramatic effect, squeezing Xena's hips playfully as he looked deeply into her eyes, his smile widening ever the more. "…is what I expect to hear from you." This time it was Ares that initiated the kiss, his lips touching with Xena's until she allowed his tongue entrance. It was slow at first, Ares moving gracefully, cautiously, until he was sure that this was what the warrior princess truly wanted. They embraced each other's warmth for several long moments, before finally breaking apart.

_Don't fall for another of Ares' tricks… he is lying to you again!_

The inner voice screamed in Xena's brain once again, but she pushed it away, annoyed. Sneering at Ares, she ran a playful finger along Ares' ear. "You are everything that Gabrielle could never hope to be. Everything that I want, she could never offer me."

The glint in Ares' eye would have scared Xena, if she hadn't seen it before. It was the look of a long battle finally being won, a victory being recognized. There was nothing Ares loved more than the smell of victory. "You got that right, Xena!" Again, Ares embraced Xena in a kiss – only this time, it was wilder, filled with the heat he felt from the victory just placed into his hands.

"Yes, I got it right. Now –hold me Ares, while the bard is gone."

"There is nothing I would enjoy more, Xena, nothing in all of Greece."

/ / /

_I don't know if I can trust her…_

Gabrielle's thoughts, however wild and unpredictable they could be at times, were contradicting everything that she was doing now.

_This isn't right…the blonde hair, the tiny uniform, and those eyes… there was so much hate you could see just by looking into her eyes._

"How do I know I can trust you?" It wasn't right to ask Callisto this, especially not now, but she had to know, otherwise her conscience would be bugging her the whole time.

Callisto, who was standing across the room from Gabrielle, smiling that evil grin, her brown eyes glinting considerably.

"The thing is, Gabrielle, you can't." She reached down to her boot, pulling out her knife. Gabrielle flinched for a moment, but Callisto made no motion of using it on her, she just twirled in her fingers as she talked. "I could say everything I wanted to try and get you to believe me, but that won't happen until I actually prove it to you, and it is only you that can decide whether you want – or rather – _need_ to trust me."

"Then, what is to stop you from just… slitting my throat at night – continuing on your way to the prize – Xena and Ares?"

A chuckle escaped Callisto at Gabrielle's words, but Gabrielle didn't understand what was so funny. Not immediately that is. "Oh, Gabrielle, such a little naïve girl you are." Callisto twirled the blade, watching the sunshine from the open window glint off it as it spun in her hand. "I need you to get what I want – simple as that. If I went to Xena, and I didn't have you with me – oh my, my, my, the rage she would be in. There is no way that we would be on negotiable terms, my dear. You are the leverage of the entire system." Another howl of laughter escaped Callisto at her own words, but she quickly got control of it, and placed her hands on her hips, the blade of the knife protruding from the right fist.

"You're insane." The words escaped Gabrielle's lips before she could even register that she had said them, but they did not seem to faze Callisto. On the contrary, her smile widened at Gabrielle's observation.

"On the contrary, my friend, I am afraid that I am the one making sense here. Think about it – what would you do if you found out that Xena had died because she was with someone she trusted, and they had tricked her, lied to her, and then killed her, only because they wanted something from her?"

When Gabrielle replied, her tone was far-off, as if she was speaking of some long past memory that she could never get back. The look in her eyes was stunning, even for Callisto. "I would avenge her death, of course. It would be the only reasonable course of action."

A smile appeared on Callisto's face when she heard Gabrielle's reply, and she sheathed the knife she had been toying with, sitting down next to Gabrielle.

_Not right, no, something is wrong, I can feel it, I can tell…_

"You look… different, somehow." The words came unbidden, escaping their prison in Gabrielle's thoughts.

"How so, bard?"

"I'm not sure, but… it seems like you are a bit… happier… somehow." Gabrielle's throat felt dry, she was thirstier than she had been in days. Maybe just a consequence of the recent events, at least she hoped.

"Happier… Gabrielle, let me explain something to you. Every day of my life, every hour, every second, is spent planning ways to take my revenge on Xena. I can't… I don't know happy anymore."

"Maybe… I-I could change that for you." Gabrielle didn't know what made her say it, the thought had never crossed her mind.

"What do you mean?" Callisto looked confused, but also excited, at what Gabrielle had just said. Gabrielle could see that fire, hungry and lustful, blazing and burning, just beneath the surface.

"How about… I forget about Xena, at least for now." Tears sprung up in the bard's eyes, unbidden, stinging her. She did nothing to hold them back, yet she didn't wipe them from her cheeks as they fell like a raging waterfall, cascading down her face.

"You and Xena were lovers, weren't you?" The magnificent grin on Callisto's face was one that the bard had never seen, one not full of anger, playful and haunting, but one of humor. Callisto was obviously amused at the idea of Xena and Gabrielle as lovers.

"What would make you say that?"

"Oh come on!" Callisto rolled her eyes, annoyed. "I'm not stupid, Gabrielle. I see the way the two of you look at each other, how you two touch each other, even in the most subtle of ways."

"Are we really that obvious?" Gabrielle frowned, thinking back to all the times she had been with Xena prior to this. Sure, they had bathed together, slept together in a double bed roll together, but she had never thought that would be suspicious. She didn't think Xena thought it was either. There were the dirty little comments they made to each other at times. Sometimes they would be in public, but mostly in private. She never knew they had been so obvious, sticking out like a sore thumb.

"Gabrielle…" Callisto then moved closer to Gabrielle, placing an arm over the bard's shoulders. Instantly, Gabrielle froze. Callisto had never shown so much contact with another human, at least not this intimately. Something had to be up with her.

_No… not right, she is playing you for a fool. _

_Feels so right thought… her arm around me._

Her thoughts contradicted each other, as they played off what Callisto was feeding the bard. The little looks, the body language, and most importantly: the words themselves. What Callisto told Gabrielle was most important of all. Callisto would never tell the bard anything she didn't want her to hear.

_Playing you for a fool…_

"You can't trust Xena. She gains your trust, your love, until you give her your heart." Callisto squeezes harder on Gabrielle's shoulder, causing Gabrielle to frown at her. "And you want to know what she does with your heart once she has gained it?"

"What? Tell me, Callisto, I am _dying_ to know."

The grin came up again, manifesting itself. An amused, humored expression that Gabrielle only got to see, not that she knew it, of course. "She takes a knife…" Again, the blade was drawn, only this time Callisto kept the blade pointed down, the hilt grasped tightly in her sword hand. "And she stabs it!" A hard, downward thrust from Callisto landed the knife deep into the bed cover.

"Listen, Callisto… I know that the Xena you knew did awful things to you, things that can never be forgiven, or taken back, but…" Her eyes flicked up from the knife to Callisto. The familiar hate that she knew was settled back on her face. It settled her, calmed her, and allowed her to continue speaking. "That isn't the Xena you see today."

"Oh listen…" Callisto sneered, her hand enclosing on the hilt of the knife again.

_Awful thirsty, can't deal with how thirsty I am. Throat is dry…mouth is parched…_

"Little miss bard is preaching to me that I should just _forget_ about everything Xena has done."

"No… no… that's not what…"

"Well tell me, Gabrielle, do you _dream_ every night of the day when your parents were burned alive in their home? Do you dream of the fire sizzling before your eyes, can you see their flesh burning as you cry your eyes out?" All at once, the smiling, cheerful Callisto disappeared, only to be replaced with the angry and fierce warrior that Gabrielle knew. The fire in her eyes was unmistakable.

Suddenly, Gabrielle felt tears come to her eyes. At once she was filled with so much sorrow and pity for Callisto. This young woman had to go through so much… "Because of Xena…" The last few words escaped Gabrielle in a slow, knowing whisper, and she placed her hand to her mouth.

_No…she killed your husband, Gabrielle… she is not worthy of pity._ Gabrielle knew these thoughts were right, but yet, something was telling her different. The look of immense pain in Callisto's eyes, the vast emptiness she saw there… it was almost too much to bear. _So many innocent people died by your hand… and yet, I can't help but feel sorry for you._

Callisto turned her head to face Gabrielle, and frowned. "What is it, bard?"

"Maybe you are right, Callisto." The words she would never have thought she would say came rushing out of her mouth, and as soon as she said them, she believed them to be the truth.

The grin on Callisto's face was the worst Gabrielle had seen yet. "Of course I am Gabrielle… now then, since you have seen my view, shall we get on with our plan?"

Gabrielle nodded slowly, feeling sick at her stomach already, and then grabbed Callisto's arm. In a flash, they disappeared from the room, off to take revenge on Xena and Ares, and take back what they knew they deserved.


End file.
